


Earn It

by SimplyKorra



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Catra is soft, Even if she doesn't want to be, F/F, My first attempt at these two, Post Season 5, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Season 5 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:08:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24301135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SimplyKorra/pseuds/SimplyKorra
Summary: Catra doesn't want to sleep on the floor. She wants to share Adora's bed with her and enjoy this new life she's suddenly found herself in. She just doesn't feel like she deserves it and her stubborn girlfriend is only making it harder.As Catra and Adora start their new lives back together, in peace, there are still plenty of obstacles to overcome.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 128
Kudos: 2250





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, so I'm nervous, as I always am when I dip my toes into a new fandom. I'm still very new to these characters and this world. I've only watched She-Ra once, but I had to write something. This was supposed to be a short trip into the fandom to test the waters, then suddenly it was 4600 words. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy.

Adora’s eyes opened slowly, the world around her coming into focus. She wasn’t entirely sure whether this was reality or just the continuation of the nightmare that was plaguing her. It was hard to tell after everything that had happened. 

She recognized the room though, her room, her home - back on Bright Moon. 

Reaching down, Adora grabbed a handful of her blanket and squeezed. She had to make sure she was in control, even over something as small as feeling the material of her bedding. The nightmares could feel so real, and the flashes she’d seen while fighting Horde Prime had only added to her questions of what was and wasn’t real. 

It was harder at night, during the day there was so much energy and excitement. Everyone was celebrating and rejoicing. The war was over, they had won and everyone wanted to thank She-Ra for it. 

Adora could handle that, she could handle being She-Ra and letting her be the hero. It was only at night, when she was left in the darkness and the quiet, that she had to battle through everything that had happened. 

Sitting up, Adora glanced down at the foot of her bed and frowned. That was where she’d last seen Catra. 

After at least an hour’s worth of negotiating, she’d managed to convince Catra that she could stay here. She could sleep in Adora’s bed, which was always too big for just Adora anyway, and that nobody here would mind. 

Even if they did, who cares? They’d just saved the planet together, that gave them a little leverage. 

Yet, in the middle of the night, Adora woke to find Catra gone. 

It was an unsettling feeling - a familiar feeling. 

So many nights Adora would dream about Catra. She would dream that things between them were different, or that they hadn’t changed at all from before she found the sword and...everything changed. 

Those dreams were always filled with the strangest feeling of contentment and peace. Her heart would overflow with something she couldn’t explain, only to then wake up and be reminded that Catra hated her and was the enemy. 

It was a crushing realization, one she eventually learned to handle and even use to push back against Catra when she absolutely had to. 

Yet, no matter how hard she tried to pretend Catra no longer mattered, her dreams always betrayed her. 

Now, to wake up after the previous day and the moments they’d shared, to not see Catra was terrifying. 

Fortunately, the fear didn’t last long because once Adora took a look around her room, she was able to spot her missing companion almost immediately. 

Catra hadn’t gotten far, she’d simply moved off the bed and was sleeping in a ball on the floor. 

Even if she was a cat, it was still crazy to Adora how small Catra could make herself when she slept. It was always the excuse they used when Catra would sleep in Adora’s bed. 

‘Why waste a full bed when I only need half?’ Catra would say

Adora was always quick to follow, ‘and she keeps my feet warm!’

Even if she didn’t agree with it, Adora understood why Catra was hesitant to share her bed like she had for so long in the Horde. 

So many things had happened between them, most of them bad - most of them brutal. Even the good things made it all more difficult now. They weren’t just friends using each other for comfort to survive a harsh environment, it was...more than that now. They were more than that now. 

Though Adora was pretty sure the bad stuff was more likely the reason for Catra’s hesitance. 

Guilt was a powerful thing. 

Adora knew Catra had a lot of things she wanted to make up for - and Adora wasn’t naive enough to pretend they didn’t happen or that they didn’t matter. She just knew that Catra was good, at her core Catra was a good person who had been cast aside too many times by too many people - herself included. 

She knew that, and she knew Catra had a journey to take to find a way to truly forgive herself. Adora was fully prepared to be by Catra’s side throughout that journey. 

What she didn’t understand was why that meant Catra couldn’t enjoy a comfy bed. 

Even worse, was now that she was awake and  _ knew _ Catra was on the floor, there was no way she could fall back asleep like this.

It would be too much trouble to wake Catra up and spend the next hour trying to convince her that she could come back to bed - but Adora also knew she had more work to do tomorrow and needed rest. 

So she compromised, with herself, but she still felt like it was a battle won - and swung her legs off the bed and climbed onto the floor. 

She took a blanket with her, because she wasn’t as fluffy as Catra and very carefully slid in next to her...girlfriend?

Were they? Between saving the world and nearly dying while doing it, there wasn’t much time to have that conversation. She wouldn’t even know how to have that conversation or what that would even mean. 

Mostly, it just felt like they acted exactly the same as they had been before only she could be affectionate with Catra instead of just imagining what it would be like.

She also knew, without question, that Catra loved her. Which at times had seemed so far out of the question that Adora used to get mad at herself for even considering it.

In reality, Adora could concede that their relationship had, in fact, changed.

Plus, it was really neat to call Catra her  _ girlfriend _ .

When she finally settled in next to her, Catra let out the softest mewl and nestled in close to the warmth of Adora’s body. It took every bit of restraint she had not to burst out with a squeal of delight. Adora could not imagine how someone who had been so dangerous and obnoxious and such a thorn in the side of the rebellion for so long, could simultaneously be an actual adorable ball of floof.

Adora was careful as she laid down, not wanting to disturb her girlfriend, who needed the rest just as much as Adora did. 

* * *

It was only day one, but Catra could already tell that Bright Moon was way too, well, bright. The sunlight and overall glow of everything was too much and had her awake well before she was ready. 

Catra grumbled, rolling onto her back, only to unexpectedly bump into something solid and quite warm beside her. 

Looking over, she was met with the sight of Adora, fast asleep on the floor. She was sleeping on her arm, a big, blue blanket pulled over her. 

She looked...beautiful, but also stupid because she had a super nice and super comfy princess bed and yet she was here on the floor. 

With Catra. 

Oh wow, did that make Catra’s heart flutter in her chest. 

She wondered if she would ever really understand it. So far the answer was a firm no. She would never understand why Adora kept coming after her. No matter what Catra did, no matter how many terrible mistakes she made, Adora would always find her and try her best to pull Catra back from the edge. 

Catra didn’t deserve it, or at least, she didn’t feel like she deserved it. Yet, she knew that if she said that to Adora, she would be met with a barrage of hugs and soft words about how she did and it was just not an argument worth having. 

Instead, Catra wanted to  _ earn  _ it. She wanted to earn everything she could so that she could stand next to Adora and feel like she deserved it. 

Rolling onto her side, Catra reached out and placed a hand gently on Adora’s cheek. For such a strong and capable warrior, Adora had such a vulnerability to her. She was soft and comforting, even when she was fast asleep and unaware of the world around her, her presence made Catra feel safer than she had in years. 

Carefully, Catra ran a thumb over Adora’s cheek. She knew she was smiling like an idiot, she knew she was being cheesy and embarrassing, but there was nobody else here to see and damn it all if she didn’t  _ really  _ love Adora. 

“Beautiful, selfless, sleeping on the floor for me like an idiot Adora,” Catra whispered into the air before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to Adora’s forehead. 

She let her lips linger, if only for a moment, to find the resolve for what she was about to do. 

Earn it, she had to earn it. 

* * *

It took asking three guards to finally find her way to her destination - standing outside of Glimmer’s...queen...room. Whatever it was, the place where Glimmer did her work as queen. There was a chance that Glimmer might be asleep, but Catra knew better than that. Glimmer was not the kind of person to relax - ever. And after everything that had happened, her kingdom was in desperate need of direction, so there was no doubt in Catra’s mind that Glimmer was up early and ready to work.

The door to this room was...huge, obnoxiously so, and way too colorful - but it fit well with the rest of the decor here. 

Catra had no idea if she was supposed to knock or what the protocol was. This  _ was _ the queen, but it was also just Sparkles. She knew Sparkles. She’d fought with her, fought against her. Survived a crazy, mind controlling dictator with her. They were friends, right? They were...friends. Not just because of Adora, but on their own terms. They’d formed a bond, a closeness that was all their own. She didn’t need to knock! This was just  _ Sparkles _ .

She knocked. 

A moment later, the door swung open dramatically and Catra took a step back. Through the entryway, she could see Glimmer standing in the distance at the bottom step of her throne, animatedly talking with Bow. Of course, it just looked like how Glimmer and Bow  _ always _ talked to one another. They were very animated people in general. 

Catra took a few hesitant steps inside, neither of them had noticed the door open or that she was here. Still, someone had let her in and she took that as justification enough to come into the queen’s...leadership...place. She really needed to learn the names of these rooms. 

After a few more steps, Catra stopped and waited for either one of them to stop talking and notice her. 

She waited...and waited, and looked back at the guards at the door to see if they might tell her what she needed to do to get their attention. 

Neither of them were any help - the guards in this place were pretty dense if she were being honest, which she always was. 

Frustrated, Catra took a few heavy steps towards them and cleared her throat loudly. 

Suddenly, their eyes were on her and she froze, wondering how it might look if she just turned around and ran. She really had no plan coming in here. 

“Catra!” Bow beamed, throwing his hands in the air. 

She would never get used to that. “Hey,” she waved and then suddenly Glimmer was gone and a moment later she appeared right in front of her. “Whoa! Easy Sparkles.”

“You didn’t run away!” Glimmer said, before giving Catra a hug. 

Catra tried to pull back a bit, but Glimmer had a tight grip and eventually Catra just relented and let herself be hugged. “Why would I run away?”

Glimmer drew back and held Catra at arm's length. “Why do you do half of the crazy things you do?”

“I…” she felt like she had a dozen things to say to defend herself, but then she remembered why she was here in the first place - to make up for all the dumb things she’d done, and her mouth closed. 

“Where’s Adora?” Bow asked, finally making his way over towards them. 

“She’s still slee -  _ oof _ …'' Now Bow was hugging the both of them. Was this going to be a thing? Would they hug her every morning? “We just saw each other yesterday! Stop hugging me!” She cried, but made very little effort to break away. 

Thankfully, Bow relented, but he didn’t stray too far away. “I will not stop hugging you until I get you to purr one time.”

Catra shot him a look. “Never going to happen Arrow Boy.” 

“Yeah, you’re not Adora, Bow. She’s the only one who makes Catra purr.”

There wasn’t even an argument to be made, so Catra just rolled her eyes. “Can I finally tell you two why I’m here?” 

“It is curious.” Bow said, scratching under his chin. “Especially without Adora. I thought you two were attached at the hip.”

“You’re one to talk.”

“I am talking.” 

Putting a hand up, Catra stuck it in Bow’s face and focused on Glimmer. “Sparkles...Queen…” Catra sighed. “Queen Sparkles. I need your help.”

Glimmer’s eyes went wide and her mouth fell open. Catra immediately wondered if she said something wrong. Like maybe you weren’t supposed to ask a queen for stuff, but Adora asked Glimmer for stuff all the time. Bow too! Bow practically expected it. 

Maybe they’d earned it, Catra thought. She hadn’t, but that was the whole point. 

“Hang on,” Glimmer shut her eyes and Catra looked at Bow who was just covering his face with a hand, hiding his expression. Why was talking to these people like an obstacle course sometimes? “I want to remember this moment, when Horde scum Catra asked me, her arch enemy, for help.”

Catra’s concern quickly turned to annoyance. “First of all, you’re not my arch enemy, Adroa is...or...was. Alright, you know what.” She gently pushed Glimmer’s shoulder. “You think this is easy for me? Asking the queen of colors and frills for help, it’s not. But I’m here and I’m doing it and your mockery isn’t helping.” 

“Okay,” Glimmer held her hands up in surrender. “Still, I’m gonna need you to make a journal entry about this, Bow.” 

“Already thinking about it.” 

Catra rolled her eyes, but didn’t say anything. 

Glimmer smiled at her. “So...what do you need?” 

Right, what did she need? Well, she knew what she  _ needed _ , she just...didn’t know how to ask for it. She also wasn’t entirely sure why she thought Sparkles was the one who could give it to her. 

“I...need you to help me...earn my spot on the bed.” She said, matter-of-factly. 

Glimmer’s eyes narrowed. “You...want a bed?” 

“No,” Catra shook her head. “I have a bed, Adora’s bed, I need to earn my spot on it.”

“You want Adora’s bed?” 

“Yes,” Catra nodded, “But only the bottom half.” 

“You want to cut Adora’s bed in half?” Bow chimed in and Catra really wished he wouldn’t. 

“What? No, I sleep at the bottom of Adora’s bed or...I used to, but I...couldn’t last night and I think it’s because I don’t…” her voice started to shake a little. Admitting this aloud to, well anyone, was harder than she expected. “I don’t really feel like I deserve it right now, so I slept on the floor, but when I woke up  _ Adora _ was on the floor next to me because she’s an a big dumb idiot and…” Catra noted Glimmer’s expression. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Glimmer had a very wry smile on her face. Catra hated it. “No reason. Did you talk to Adora about this?” 

“No.” 

“So what do you want me to do about it?” 

Catra threw her arms up dramatically. “I don’t know! You’re the one in charge here, right? Give me something to do! Something that lets me help, you know? So I can feel like I’m...earning it.” 

“Earning your spot at the foot of Adora’s bed?” 

“Yes,” Catra nodded for emphasis.

Bow and Glimmer shared a look and Catra was pretty sure she wasn’t making a whole lot of sense to either of them, but she didn’t care. She needed this. She needed to feel like she deserved to be here. 

“Well,” Glimmer pinched the bridge of her nose. “Since your request is for Adora…”

“Because of course it is,” Bow said with a wink and Catra was ready to see how far she could throw him. 

“Why don’t we make the chore about her too?” 

“I...suppose that makes sense.” 

“Oh!” Bow threw his hand in the air like a student in class. Catra stared at him like he was insane, but Glimmer merely pointed at him with a smile. 

“Yes, Bow?” 

“Breakfast in bed!” 

Catra frowned. You couldn’t eat breakfast in bed. Or...anything in bed. Were princesses allowed to eat in bed? If you made a mess in your bed in the Horde you had to wash everyone’s sheets that day. 

Though that didn’t matter as much since Adora was currently on the floor. 

“Okay,” Catra tried to psych herself up. “I can do that, breakfast. I can make...breakfast. Just...just a few ration bars or something.”

Glimmer frowned. “Catra, no…” she sighed. “Not...not ration bars. We don’t even have ration bars.”

“Eggs!” Bow chimed in, holding up a triumphant finger. 

“Eggs?”

Glimmer nodded. “Adora loves eggs, with a little ham on the side.”

“Ham?” 

“Oh and a nice orange juice!” 

They just kept adding things. “I...I can…” she had to try. “I can do that.” She waved them off. “Of course I can. Eggs, juice...that...other thing you said.”

“Ham.” Bow helped, even though Catra didn’t ask. 

“Right, that...I can do that.” She really didn’t know if she could do that. “I’ll go do that!” She turned around and started making her way out of the large room where Glimmer did her queen stuff and stopped right at the door.

She looked left, then right and then left again, only now realizing she had no idea where the heck she was going. Even if they’d told her she probably wouldn’t find it in this actual castle. 

Turning back around, she saw Glimmer and Bow staring at her with stupid smiles on their faces. 

“Need some help?” Sparkles asked. “More help?” 

Catra glared daggers in her, but didn’t say no. 

“I’m on it,” Bow said, giving Glimmer a high five before racing over to Catra and throwing an arm over her shoulder. “Let me show you how we cook breakfast at Bright Moon!” 

* * *

Catra was exhausted by the time she made it back to Adora’s room.

She was careful on arrival, using her foot to gently push the door closed behind her, all the while carrying the tray of food that smelled  _ amazing _ . She was gentle, more so than she had been in her entire life. 

This was, perhaps, the first time that she was thankful for all that Adora had been through the last few...months? Years? Because it meant that Adora was exhausted enough to still be asleep when she returned. 

She looked so cute, stretched out, arm above her head and blanket barely hanging on. It was also just a little bit unfair that Adora now suddenly wore a tank top to bed. She never did that in the Horde. You slept in your uniform because you never knew when Shadow Weaver might call an emergency mission or meeting or just decide to wake everyone up to amuse herself. 

Now, Adora was in a tank top, with those shoulders of hers exposed and taunting Catra like quiet little boulders. 

Gracefully, Catra sat down on the floor, her legs crossed and the tray of food settled on them. She looked down at it again, frowning at how good it looked. She tried, really she did, but her attempts never came out like this. 

As much as she wanted to  _ make _ this for Adora, she also wanted Adora to enjoy it. She just hoped effort mattered. 

“Adora?” Catra called out, keeping her voice soft as if someone else might hear them and barge in. “Hey, sleepyhead, it’s time to get up.”

Adora grumbled, her body shifting under the blanket and what little it was covering finally fell off. Adora’s shirt riding up her stomach, showing off more skin that made that hair on Catra’s arm stand up. 

“Catra?” Adora called out, and Catra hated how hearing her own name like that made her stomach do stupid little flips. She really needed to get a handle on all of this. She had a reputation to uphold. “Mmm, oh...wow...this floor is hard.”

Catra rolled her eyes. “You shouldn’t be on the floor.” She said, glaring at Adora as she sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. “Why are you on the floor?” 

“‘Cause you were,” she said, groggily. “I woke up and you were down here and...I don’t know.” She took a breath, still trying to wake up. Adora then sniffed, once, twice and a third time before her eyes burst open. “Is there food here?” 

With a smile, Catra held up her tray of food. “Yep, breakfast in bed! Which is apparently a thing in Bright Moon. Though it’s breakfast on the floor, in your case.” 

Adora spotted the tray of food, her eyes lighting up in that adorable way they did and Catra felt like she’d won something. 

However, a moment later, Adora frowned. “Why are you making me breakfast in bed?” Adora eyed the food. “And why is there only one plate?” 

“How much do you eat?” 

“That’s...not what we’re discussing,” Adora pointed a finger at her. “Where’s yours?” 

Catra sighed, she should have seen this coming. “This is for you, Adora. I made it for you.” She hated it, she knew she shouldn’t lie to Adora. She couldn’t. She wouldn’t. “Okay Bow helped.”  _ Catra _ . “Fine,” she growled, entirely at herself. “Bow made it because I tried three times and he said I was sacrificing the castle's egg supplies. But I learned! And I tried really hard! Who knew cooking was so difficult! No wonder we only got ration bars. I’d  _ hate _ having to do this every day.” 

Slowly, Adora scooted across the floor to be closer to Catra, their feet touching as she closed the gap. 

“But...why though?” Adora had this way she spoke sometimes, it was a weakness and Catra knew it. Adora could approach her with a question and there was just no way Catra could work around it. 

“Because...you slept on the floor last night.” 

Adora’s brow furrowed. “I don’t understand.” 

“Adora, you have a bed!” 

“I’m aware. I’m also aware that  _ we _ started on the bed last night but when I woke up you weren’t there anymore.” 

Catra held her hands close together, extending and retracting her claws slowly and letting them gently press into her skin. It was a nervous tick she’d developed through the years of being lectured and yelled at. Adora wasn’t doing either of those things, but that same guilt still lingered. 

“Adora I...I’m not you,” she couldn’t look at her. “I haven’t earned a spot on your bed yet. I haven’t...earned a lot of the things everyone has given me here.”

“Catra, of course you have! In the Heart…”

“I know what happened in the Heart, Adora.” She shook her head. “But that doesn’t just...magically make everything else go away. It can’t.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “It can’t be that easy.” 

She felt something warm touch her hands, her claws instantly retreating at the contact. She looked up, bright blue eyes staring at her. “It’s not,” Adora said, her voice soft. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t sleep on the bed or...eat breakfast with me.”

It would be so easy to believe that. But every time she closed her eyes last night, at the foot of Adora’s bed, all she could see was the looks on everyone’s face when she hurt them. They were images she wanted gone - she wanted to replace. With Bow’s over the top cheers and Sparkle's silly laugh when she was right. 

She wanted to replace those looks of betrayal from Adora with that look she was giving her now. That one with compassion and care and...love. 

“I have to, Adora. I have to earn it. For my own sanity I have to feel like I deserve to be here.”

Sitting across from her, Adora was quiet for a moment, just staring at Catra with empathy in her expression. 

A moment later, Adora reached down and picked up the fork on the tray and stabbed it into one of the eggs. It burst open, yellow going everywhere and Catra really couldn’t tell if that was supposed to happen or not. Bow tried so hard  _ not  _ to break them while he cooked them that it felt like destruction. 

Then all of the sudden, Adroa scooped up the egg onto the fork and took a ridiculously big bite, an Adora sized bite, but it was still impressive. 

Now she sat in front of Catra, with a mouth full of potentially destroyed eggs and a smile on her puffy cheeks. 

“S’really good,” she said through a full mouth. 

Catra couldn’t believe this was who she’d fallen in love with. But she also kind of wanted to reach over and pinch those adorable cheeks, but then the egg would probably get everywhere. 

Eventually, Adora swallowed and contentedly exhaled as if she’d just won a training session. 

“Catra,” she started, picking up the juice and taking a sip. “You know you don’t have to...earn anything with me.” 

“Adora…”

“But,” Adora held a hand up to stop her. “I get it.” She said, and Catra tensed a bit. “The first few days I was here, I felt it too. I mean, it feels like forever ago but I  _ was _ a member of the Horde too, once.”

“Adora, you didn’t do anything close to what I did, I…”

“I know,” Adora reached across and touched Catra’s knee, stopping her. “So we’ll fix it. We’ll find ways for you to...earn your place here. So you can feel comfortable here.”

Catra relaxed, a smile growing on her face. “You...you’re kind of sweet, you know? For a huge dork, you’re kind of sweet.” 

“I know,” Adora nodded, reaching down with her fork and stabbing into the eggs again. “But...that doesn’t mean you can’t  _ enjoy _ your time here while you earn it. You’re not a prisoner or a captive or even a guest...you’re a part of all of this. You’re…” Adora took a breath, her voice shaky. “You’re home, Catra. If you want this to be your home, it can be.”

“You’re my home,” she said, and she wasn’t even sure where those words came from, but Adora’s eyes went wide and suddenly a tear slid down them and Catra knew she’d said something right. 

“Wow,” Adora wiped at her eyes. “Okay, that…” Adora leaned forward, kissing Catra quickly and startling her a bit. Her lips tasted like eggs, which tasted  _ delicious _ . “Well, as...your  _ home _ ,” Adora smiled brightly. “I’m asking you to enjoy it. To sleep in the bed with me and let Glimmer give you new clothes and let Bow spar with you and…” Adora held up a fork full of egg. “Eat breakfast with me.” 

Catra stared at her, an egg dripping in between them, but damn it all if Adora wasn’t impossible to say no to. “I have a lot of work to do.” 

Adora nodded. “I know, and we will get to it.”

“We?” 

“Always.” 

Now it was Catra’s turn to melt. Instead of trying to come up with something better to say, she simply leaned forward and took the bite of egg off the fork - letting the wonderful flavors fill her mouth. 

“Okay,” Catra mumbled through the flavor. “Ration bars officially suck.”

“Right?!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two things.  
> 1\. The feedback and support of the first part of this was so amazing. Seriously, you all are so kind.  
> 2\. These two are so much fun to write I just had to do more. I really really enjoy the both of them so much.  
> Thank you again for all the kind words for part one.

Catra sat perched up in a tree. She’d said she needed a walk to clear her head, to...prepare for the events of tonight. Adora, being herself, was worried and asked if she was okay. 

She told her she was, and she was! Really, she was okay. 

Things in Bright Moon had been...better. 

Of course there were still obstacles and times when Catra felt like she didn’t belong here. According to Adora those never really went away entirely, but it was hard to believe her because Adora just fit so well here. 

People loved her, not that Catra could blame them, but everyone just seemed to brighten whenever Adora walked into a room. It was one of the things that Catra worried about when she first came here and joined their side. 

Did any of these people really  _ know _ Adora? Did they care about her or were they just happy to have her around in case something bad happened and they needed She-ra?

Glimmer and Bow were easy, Catra had them pegged almost immediately. She-ra or not, those two were loyal to Adora and therefore, they were okay in Catra’s book from the start. They were obnoxious and terrorized her every single day of her life now, but they were okay. 

One by one, with each person or princess that came through Bright Moon, Catra realized that they all genuinely cared about and appreciated  _ Adora _ \- the girl and not the power she had. 

It settled her, allowed her to let her guard down around them and not have to constantly worry about trying to keep Adora safe. 

There would be enough of that soon, when the journey started to restore magic across the planet and beyond. It was going to be daunting and exhausting and Adora would be front and center. 

Catra would be there too, whether anyone liked it or not - because someone had to make sure Adora took care of herself. 

Unfortunately, that meant Catra had to play nice - and she could. It wasn’t too bad most of the time. Sparkles kept her busy with things to do, helping her earn her place here. 

Tonight though, tonight was the real test. Tonight was important. 

Tonight...was Glimmer’s party. 

She’d been planning it for weeks, tediously and painstakingly. It was driving everyone a little crazy - even Bow. Catra understood why, Glimmer wanted it to be perfect - in a way, she probably  _ needed _ it to be perfect. 

The battles were over, for now at least. There was peace and she was the Queen and everything had to look as peaceful as it was supposed to be. 

Princesses from all over Etheria were coming. 

All of the people Catra had tried so hard to kill. 

That thought was why she was here now, sitting in a tree just outside the castle, watching from afar. 

A sudden rustling to her right drew Catra’s eye, it was Melog moving along his own branch and stretching out his front paws a bit. 

“You’re lucky, you know?” He popped his head up and stared at her curiously. “You don’t have to spend your afternoon being poked and prodded by people trying to make you look like you belong at a big princess party.” 

Melog made a soft mewl in her direction and Catra shook her head. 

“Going invisible would work but Sparkles would kill me and Adora would get that sad pouty look on her face and then I’d be in even more trouble.” 

Speaking of, the next time Catra looked over at the castle, she saw Adora wandering around, ponytail swishing from side to side. 

_ She’s looking for me _ . 

It was still wild to Catra that even with everything going on and everyone coming to see  _ her _ , that Adora still sought her out. 

Looking over at Melog again, she saw that he was already on his feet. 

“Time to stop hiding.” Catra said before leaping down from the branch. 

She landed on her feet, using her hands to brace the impact and made just enough noise that Adora spotted her. Those big blue eyes brightened as she smiled. 

“There you are!” Adora called, waving Catra over. 

“Looking for me?” She asked innocently, putting her hands behind her back. 

Adora grinned. “I was, but...not for me.”

Catra frowned, wondering how fast she could get back in her tree. “Sparkles?” Adora shook her head. “Arrow Boy?” Another shake of the head. “No.” Anything but that. 

“Sorry,” Adora took a step towards her and put an arm over Catra’s shoulder. “Perfuma and Scopia got here super early, Perfuma promised Glimmer she’d help you pick out something to wear.” 

“No,” Catra shook her head furiously. “I am not attending my first Princess party as an actual guest and not someone trying to, you know, ruin everything - wearing a dress made out of lilies and wicker.” 

“A wicker dress? That would really itch.”

“Exactly!” Catra threw her hands in the air. “Adora, you...you can’t let them do this to me.” She did her best sad face, the absolute best ‘please save me Adora’ face she could muster. 

The longer those blue eyes stared at her, the more Catra knew it was working. “You  _ do _ have to find something to wear tonight.”

“I know!” Catra smiled. “I know and...I will, I promise. I know how important this night is to everyone.” Adora smiled. “I mean it’s going to be long and boring and based on previous experience, Princesses don’t really know how to throw parties.” 

“Neither one of us knew what parties were two years ago.” 

She had a point. “Still, I think they’re supposed to be more fun than that.” Adora laughed and Catra soaked it in. “I promise. I’ll find something to wear and it will knock your socks off.” 

A heartbeat passed between them and suddenly Adora was pressed flush against her. Catra’s heart hammered in her chest as their eyes met. Adora was so close that Catra could count her eyelashes if she had the time. 

“You’re the one who’s going to be missing their socks.” Adora spoke softly and with purpose.

“What does that even mean?” 

Adora narrowed her gaze. “I’m...not really sure.” She then glared when Catra found herself holding in a laugh. “Hey! You’re the one who brought our socks into this!” 

Catra couldn’t contain it, she laughed, right in Adora’s face. “It’s just a figure of speech! I heard it from King Micah.” She rolled her eyes. “He was going on and on this morning about how the decorators were going to ‘blow Glimmer’s socks off’ with how good the ball room would look. Apparently, the theme is magic.” 

“Makes sense.” Adora nodded. “Also, what were you doing with King Micah and Glimmer this morning?” Catra was about to answer, but then Adora just started talking again - mostly to herself. “Double also, do you ever think about how it’s King Micah and...Queen Glimmer - but she’s his daughter.” 

“Adora...what?” 

She shrugged. “It’s just weird, you know? King and Queen but…it’s father and daughter.” 

Catra shrugged. “It’s not that weird when you know the super long and complicated story behind it.”

“I guess…” Adora had that cute look on her face where her thoughts finally caught back up to her. “What were we talking about?” 

“You, telling Perfuma that I can dress myself.”

“Right,” Adora squeezed her shoulder. “Scorpia is going to be disappointed.”

“She’ll get over it when she sees how awesome I look.” Catra gave Adora a quick peck on the cheek. She did actually have work to do and knew just where to start. “Now, you go and do your...Adora, hero of the universe thing and I’ll see you tonight.” 

As she turned to walk away, Catra wrapped her tail around Adora’s waist and let it slowly uncoil. When she turned back, Adora was still standing there, watching her go. 

* * *

Adora stood facing the mirror, running her fingers over the mark on her chest. The Heart of Etheria. She didn’t know at the time how prominent that glowing mark was, she never imagined it would stay - that it would scar. 

The irony of it was not lost on her, the heart...she was the heart. Or at least, She-ra was and that in it of itself was a responsibility that she carried. 

It was terrifying and heavy, a weight she couldn’t fully comprehend. Even now, with no immediate threats to her home, Adora knew this mark meant her life was devoted to protecting it. 

“Adora?” Glimmer’s voice called from outside the door and Adora quickly pulled the top of her dress up and tied it around her neck and covered her scar. 

That was not a conversation she wanted to have tonight. “Come in!”

Adora watched through the mirror as Glimmer stepped in, looking as queenly as ever.

“Oh! I knew you’d look great in that dress!” Adora smiled as Glimmer came up behind her and reached around to grab the mess of Adora’s hair and pull it back. She then picked up a brush off the table beside her and went to work. “How are you handling all the peace and quiet the last few days?”

“Oh you know, doing my best not to start fights with strangers. Chasing Catra around keeps me pretty busy - was I this bad at adjusting to Bright Moon?” 

“Yes,” Glimmer said matter-of-factly. “Yes you were.” 

Adora scoffed. “That can’t be true!”

“It is true,” Glimmer laughed as she used her magic to quickly teleport away, grab a stool to stand on, then returned to her task of reigning in Adora’s hair. “At least her magical pet friend is more relaxed than Swift Wind.”

“Hey, Swift Wind is super relaxed.”

Glimmer rolled her eyes. “Yeah, if you make sure and wear him out with a two hour trip around the Whispering Woods.” Adora found herself laughing along with Glimmer - it was nice. “You’ve been doing that a lot more lately, you know?” Adora tilted her head curiously. “Smiling.”

Adora felt her face flush. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Glimmer just smiled at her and Adora glared. “It’s not...it’s not like you and Bow are any different!” 

“Oh we’re not,” Glimmer said with a bright smile. Adora always struggled winning arguments with Glimmer - even the silly ones. “We’re just not trying to be as discreet as the two of you.” 

“You noticed that, huh?” 

“You mean the way you two stop holding hands as soon as someone walks by? Yeah, I noticed.” 

Adora frowned, it sounded worse when she heard it out loud. “It’s not...we’re not ashamed, or anything. I think it’s just hard for Catra - after everything. She’s trying to -”

“Earn it,” Glimmer finished. “Yeah, I know. Catra doesn’t strike me as the kind of person who likes to be handed anything.”

“Definitely not,” Adora chuckled. “She’s stubborn like that.” 

That was when Glimmer gave her a familiar look. The one where Adora knew a serious question was coming. “What about you?” 

Adora turned around to face her friend. “Wh--what about me?” 

“Are you okay with not showing affection around other people?” 

“I mean, I’m not going to push her or anything. I guess I just want her to feel comfortable enough around everyone here that it’s not really an issue.” 

“I think that’s what she wants too,” Glimmer said. “She cares about you, a lot.” It was still strange to hear it, to think it, even to feel it when they were together.

“I want to make sure she’s happy here. I don’t…” Adora couldn’t finish the sentence, it hurt to much to even consider

As always, Glimmer knew where she was going. “You don’t want her to run away?” Adora nodded. “Do you think she would?”

“I guess not, but she spends a lot of time outside, you know? Away from...everything. I know that this place can be hard to adjust to, but it’s still a thought I have every now and then.” 

“Have you talked to her about this?” Of course she hadn’t, because that would be admitting that she was still terrified she might wake up one morning and Catra would be gone. After all they’d been through, Adora hated that she didn’t trust their love enough to believe that Catra wasn’t going to leave her again. “I’ll take that as a no,” Glimmer said with a soft smile. “Talk to her, Adora. Communication, remember? That thing you and her never really did before - it helps.” 

Adora knows she’s right, she just needs to talk to Catra. If they’re ever going to make this work, she has to be able to tell Catra how she feels. She’s done it before, after rescuing her from Horde Prime, when Catra tried to lash out again, she pushed back. She refused to play those same games from before and it  _ worked _ , the game stopped and everything fell into place from there. 

With only a few near death experiences in between. 

“You’re right,” Adora smiled. 

Glimmer rolled her eyes. “Of course I am, I  _ am _ the Queen, after all.” Glimmer hopped off her stool and put an arm around Adora’s waist. “Now come on, let’s go make sure Scorpia hasn’t destroyed the prison trying to get ready.”

“You put her in the prison?!” 

“She requested it!” 

* * *

It was somewhere between Glimmer’s speech and Scorpia and Perfuma’s show stealing dance that Adora realized she couldn’t find Catra. 

Catra, who had shown up looking incredible and dressed better than Adora could have ever imagined. A red, button down top and black pants to go along with it. She had been a perfect date from the moment she laid eyes on Adora and told her she looked beautiful. 

They’d sat together at the main table, listening and laughing at everyone’s jokes. Humbly lowering their heads whenever anyone would mention the things they’d done for the war effort. 

Adora noticed how shy Catra was every time the attention was turned to her. When Glimmer spoke of Catra’s bravery, returning to the heart of Etheria and helping Adora until the end, Catra lowered her head as if she didn’t really deserve the applause. 

In that moment, as the clapping roared through the ballroom, Adora leaned in and whispered to her how much she loved her. Catra gave her a warm and sincere smile, but never really came back to her. 

Finding her wasn’t hard, it was just a matter of convincing Wrong Hordak, who had decided that he was going to be the ‘muscle’ at the event and make sure nobody was too rowdy, that she was just going out for fresh air. 

“If you wish to receive a breath of fresh air while still enjoying the festivities, I could go outside for you, bottle a glass of fresh, Bright Moon air, bring it inside and open it right in your face!” He said, before winking and using finger guns at her, because apparently he’d learned that somewhere.

“No thank you, Wrong Hordak,” Adora pinched the bridge of her nose. 

“I could go inside, sit in your seat and keep it warm for you upon your return?” 

“You know what? Go for it.” She stepped aside and watched as he clapped his hands in excitement. 

A moment later, he was racing inside and she watched him plop down in her seat, scaring poor Bow half to death. 

Adora took the distraction and the loud music as her chance to escape. The halls of Bright Moon were empty, only filled with the boisterous noise coming from the ballroom. 

The nerves started to set in just a little, Adora knew Catra was feeling overwhelmed, in a lot of ways, she expected it to happen. She knew what it was like to adjust to having people that actually liked you and that praised you for the things you did. It was certainly never anything they were granted back in the Fright Zone. 

Nothing was ever good enough there. No matter how hard they worked and how much effort they put in, it was never enough. 

Here, just being willing to try was all anyone asked for.

As she stepped outside into the warm night air, Adora found Catra almost immediately. She hadn’t gone far, sitting on the grass with Melog’s head in her lap. Her back was to Adora, but with Melog there, she’d be alerted to Adora’s presence sooner than later. 

She took a few cautious steps towards her. Adora was just happy Catra was close by - she knew better than to worry. Catra was here and she was trying so hard. She almost felt guilty for even thinking Catra might run again. 

Eventually, she stepped to close and Melog perked up at the sound of her footsteps. Catra’s ears flicked back, her head turned and she smiled. “Hey, Adora.” 

“Hey yourself,” Adora picked up the pace a bit and made her way to Catra. Melog moved over a bit and made room for her, but didn’t stray too far. “You missed Sea Hawk’s serenade.” 

Catra grinned. “You’d think so, but I could still hear it from out here.”

“Yeah, but you did miss all the showmanship.” That made Catra laugh, Adora chalked it up to a win. “Everything okay?” She asked, bumping her shoulder into Catra a little. 

“It’s fine, your friends are great, it’s just...a lot.” Catra hugged herself a little, Adora fought not to scoot close and hold her. She wanted Catra to open up to her. “We can go back inside if you want.”

Taking in a deep breath of air, Adora leaned back on her elbows and stretched her legs out. “I don’t know, it’s pretty nice out here.” She glanced over at Catra and smiled. “Just the two of us.” Melog let out an aggravated growl. “Right, sorry Melog.” Adora reached over and scratched his head. This seemed to satisfy him. “Who would have thought two kids from the Fright Zone would be here in Bright Moon partying with the Princesses.”

Catra let out a breathy laugh. “You just had to go back for that sword.” 

“Pass up the chance to be super tall and super strong and  _ glow _ , how could I not want that?” 

“You probably would have almost died less.”

Adora nodded. “That’s fair, people do swoon over the muscles though.” She said, flexing for good measure. 

Her arm caught Catra’s eye, if only for a moment, but it was enough. “You had that going for you way before She-ra.” Catra looked away again, Adora swore she was blushing. “Pretty sure girls were swooning over you before you could transform.”

“Oh?” Adora had to tease, just a little. “Girls like you?” 

Catra scoffed, far too loudly, and shoved Adora away. “You wish, I was too busy kicking your butt in training every day.”

“My butt, specifically my butt and never anyone else.” Adora pushed back. “Face it, Catra. You’re the first She-ra fangirl.” 

“Nope,” Catra returned simply enough. 

“I can flex again if you want.” 

“You’re so annoying.” 

“If you’re really lucky I could pick you up and carry you around for a little while.” 

“Adora…”

“Maybe press you over my head and throw you around?” Catra growled, but not enough to be intimidating. She did, however, stand up in a flurry that even sent Melog scrambling a bit. “Whoa, I’m sorry, I was just teasing.”

“I know,” Catra stood straight, her back tense and her fists clenched together. “I..” she threw her head back, clearly frustrated. Adora stood up behind her, waiting for whatever Catra might say. “I was being selfish. I  _ am _ being selfish, right now.” 

“Catra,” Adora placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay if you’re uncomfortable around everyone, you’re still working to -” 

“No,” Catra cut her off, turning around to face her. She looked vulnerable and uncertain, but she held Adora’s hand tightly. “I mean...I was being selfish because I knew if I came out here...you’d come after me.” 

Adora tilted her head to the side. “Am I that predictable?” 

“A little,” Catra smiled. “But you’re also...that kind of person. That kind of...girlfriend.” Now Catra was definitely blushing and Adora was pretty sure she was too. “Look, the truth is, I’ve wanted to dance with you all night but I didn’t want to do it in front of everyone because the last time we danced in front of everyone we were at each other’s throats and it’s not a great memory but I want to replace it with a good memory and we can still hear the music out here and…” Catra stopped a frown on her face. “Why are you smiling at my insanity?”

“Because you’re cute,”

“I’m not cute.” 

Adora reached out and took Catra’s hand. “The cutest.” Catra looked up at Adora with soft eyes, but she wasn’t getting off the hook that easily. “Ask me.” 

The fur on Catra’s arm stood up for a moment at Adora’s request, but she took a breath and recomposed herself and when she looked at Adora again, there was confidence in her eyes. 

“Will you...dance with me?” 

Adora closed the distance between them putting her arms on Catra’s waist. “See? Cute.” 

Catra rolled her eyes, but didn’t argue. Instead, she gently placed her arms around Adora’s neck. “Not sure we’ll be able to handle a slow song like this.” The music was soft, muffled but still loud enough that it filled the air around them. The setting was hard to deny though. Surrounded by trees and the lights from the castle, stars in the sky for the first time in so long. 

Everything around them was gorgeous, but Adora could only focus on Catra, and the way she was looking at her. 

“How do we do this?” Catra asked, her voice soft. There was nobody around them, but this moment wasn’t meant for anyone else. 

Adora smiled. “I think we just sway back and forth.”

“That’s boring.” Catra said, but did as she was directed. 

“Here,” Adora closed the gap between them even more, bringing their bodies flush together. Catra gasped, actually gasped and Adora couldn’t help but feel good about herself. She so often felt like she was caught off guard just at the sight of Catra or the sound of her voice - it was nice to return the favor. “Better?” 

Catra didn’t answer, she just glared at Adora who couldn’t stop smirking. She loved winning these little battles with her.

A moment later, Catra pulled Adora down by the neck and kissed her. 

Unfortunately, Catra loved winning too.

As the kiss broke, Adora couldn’t contain herself. “This is really nice.” Catra nodded, placing her head on Adora’s shoulder. “I’m really glad you’re here.” 

“I - I am too.” She whispered, if they were in the actual ballroom Adora was pretty sure she wouldn’t have been able to hear her. Outside though, with the music softened through the walls of the castle, it was more than loud enough. “Good thing I never actually killed you all those times I tried, huh?”

Adora stopped moving, feeling Catra freeze against her. As she drew her head back, Adora tightened her grip on Catra’s waist. 

“All right,” suddenly, Adora scooped Catra up under her thighs and lifted her off the ground. 

“Adora!” Catra screamed. “What are you doing?!” 

“You had your nice outdoor dance, now we’re going back inside to sing a duet!” 

“No!” Catra thrashed in Adora’s arms. “Why are you so strong?! ADORA!” 

She screamed and shouted the whole way inside, if she really wanted to escape, she could. 

But now she knew, Catra had no intention of running away from her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed part two. Probably more parts coming, I'm having too much fun.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading. For now, this is probably the end of this short little series. If I get any new ideas for it, I'll add them, but for now I'm focusing on a new idea for these two that will be coming soon. So I hope you'll give that a shot.
> 
> In the meantime, thank you for reading, thank you for all the crazy support and I hope you enjoyed :)

Melog had been following Adora around for days. Even when Catra wasn’t around, Melog would stay near Adora, sit next to her during meetings and even sleep on her side of the bed. 

Catra couldn’t figure it out. They were three days away from taking their first trip out of Bright Moon since the end of the war with Horde Prime and suddenly she was losing her companion to her girlfriend. 

Not that she could really blame Melog, Adora was fun to follow around, but it was a little disappointing and strange. 

Then one morning, Catra was woken up by a series of concerned mewls from Melog. She groaned and pushed him away, but he was persistent and frustrating. 

“Melog, the sun’s not even up yet, Adora, get your new best friend off of me.” She cried out, rolling away from the sudden onslaught of attention. However, as she settled back on her pillow, she was met with nothing but silence. 

Sliding her leg back, she searched for the warmth of Adora beside her, but found a cold and empty bed in return.

Catra sat up, her alarm bells going off in waves. Adora was a heavy sleeper, and not once since they started sharing this bed had Adora not been there. 

Melog let out another sound of frustration and Catra finally allowed herself to listen. “What? Where?” He cried again, jumping off the bed and racing towards the door on the far end of the room they shared.

Climbing off the bed, Catra nearly tripped over her own tail as she stumbled and followed after him. The closer she was, the more she could hear noises coming through the door. 

Catra stopped, listening for a moment. Adora was breathing heavily, she sounded really uncomfortable. Then it came, an awful sound of retching that made Catra wince. 

“Adora?” She called out softly, pressing her hand on the door. “Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine,” Adora said, her voice trying and failing to sound as fine as she wanted Catra to believe. Instead, she sounded raspy and exhausted. “Just a little stomach bug thing.” Adora exhaled shakily. “It really stinks in here.” 

Catra rolled her eyes. “Can I come in?”

“Didn’t you hear what I just said?”

This girl could be so frustrating. “I asked mostly as a kindness, but I’m coming in either way. Just make sure I don’t hit you with the door.”

“Catra, I don’t think…” Before she could finish, Catra opened the door. 

It did smell, and despite her best efforts not to show it, she winced as the scent hit her. “Oh wow,” she tried to shake it off, but even Melog took a step back and he was a mythical being. “Adora, how long have you been in here?” 

She just shrugged, her body slumped against the toilet, head resting on the back of the bowl. “Time has no meaning anymore,” she said, closing her eyes. “It’s only puke, and sweat,” that’s when Catra realized how damp Adora’s forehead was. “I defeated an entire horde army and a psychotic clone building madman just so I could die here, head in the toilet, with you by my side.” 

“You’re so dramatic,” Catra said as she sat down next to Adora. She reached up to brush Adora’s hair out of her face and was shocked at how warm she was. “Adora, you’re burning up.”

“Dying, remember?” 

“Will you stop?” Catra growled a little, she knew Adora was being dramatic but something  _ was _ clearly wrong. “What do I do?” She was answered with a shrug. Catra wanted to be frustrated, but Adora clearly wasn’t doing well. “Okay, well...you’re warm so let’s...make you not warm.” Catra stood up, scanning around the room. She spotted a rag on the big marble sink and picked it up. As she turned on the faucet, she studied the cloth. It was white, with gold sewn wings and words on them. “Are these...She-ra rags?”

“Washcloths,” Adora corrected. “Bow had them made for me a while back.” 

“Of course he did,” One of these days Catra was going to stop asking about all the strange things here in Bright Moon. Like custom made bathroom rags. Running the... _ washcloth _ under some cool water, she rang it out and turned back to Adora just in time to see her push off the toilet and lay back hard against the wall. “You’re a mess,” she said as she knelt down next to her girlfriend and placed the cool rag on her forehead. “Okay, just...we’ll hold this here and I’ll think of what to do next.” 

Adora laid back, while Catra stayed close and held the cloth on her head. “You’re sweet,” Adora smiled tiredly at her. 

“You smell bad.”

Adora frowned. “I take back what I said.” 

“Sorry,” Catra frowned. “I just...I don’t know what to do. Can’t you just…She-ra magic all this away?” 

“I tried, I can’t focus and I don’t even know if that works on...stuff like this.” she gestured towards the toilet, Catra wasn’t about to look in there. “M’sorry you have to do this. It’s gross.” 

“No, no, don’t apologize.” Catra reached up with her free hand and ran it through Adora’s hair. “I’m just freaking out a little bit. I don’t like seeing you like this.”

“You know,” Adora looked over at her, she looked so tired. “I’m not really a fan of it either.” 

“Should I get someone? Glimmer might know what to do?” Adora could only nod. “Okay...I’ll...go wake up the Queen then.” The prospect of doing  _ that _ was only adding to Catra’s nightmarish night. She was ready to stand, to race off to Glimmer’s chambers and wake her up, hopefully without getting shot by an arrow or blasted away with magic. 

Unfortunately, her legs wouldn’t move. She didn’t want to leave Adora alone in here - not when she was out of it like this. 

“I’m fine,” Adora mumbled, her eyes closed. “Go get Glimmer. I’ll still be here.” 

Nodding, Catra grabbed Adora’s hand and pressed a kiss into the back of it. She then laid it across the cool rag. “Hold this, if you feel sick, don’t throw up on yourself.” 

“I’ll wait ‘til you come back and throw up on you.”

Catra could only smile, so long as Adora was still being an idiot, she was still okay. 

“I’ll be back, Melog is on guard duty.” Catra glanced at Melog who was still lying in the doorway, ready to take watch. 

* * *

Catra’s hands were shaking as she walked through the Queen’s chamber halls. She was tired and frazzled from seeing Adora like that and also maybe a little nervous to be waking up Sparkles this late at night. 

She had to do it though, she knew that. Adora needed help and that would always be priority number one. So Catra kept her head down, ignoring the murals of past kings and queens that painted the walls of the hall. Explicitly keeping her head down as she passed one in particular, if she truly allowed herself to think about that she’d never make it to Glimmer. She just needed to find Glimmer, ignore Bow’s freakout of seeing Catra in their room and help Adora. 

“Halt!” A voice cried and Catra froze in her spot. “Why are you wandering these halls so late at night?” 

Catra took a deep breath, glancing up to find a faceless guard holding a large staff. “I need to see the Queen.” 

“At this hour? Whatever you need can wait until morning.”

“No, it can’t.” Catra could feel the hair on her arms standing up. Adora didn’t have time for this. 

The guard didn’t budge. “Please return to your part of the castle at once.” 

“I’m not leaving,” she said, her claws ready to come out. She had been working hard on her anger, and she really felt like she’d been making progress. But stupidity was hard to overcome and this guard was clearly out of his depth. “Adora needs help, okay? I need to speak with the Queen about -” 

“What’s going on out here?” 

Catra’s eyes went wide, her tail stiffened and she was fairly certain the guard reacted the same way she did. 

Turning back, she watched as Castaspella came out of her room, wearing a ridiculously large night dress that dragged behind her. She looked a lot smaller, but somehow more intimidating, without her crown and cape. 

“My apologies, my lady. It appears this one was trying to sneak into the Queen’s chambers.”

Catra was ready to fight again. “I wasn’t  _ sneaking _ anywhere! Adora is sick, she’s in our room right now throwing up and she has a fever and I…” Catra sighed. “I don’t know what to do...to help her.”

Castaspella nodded, she looked as uneasy as Catra felt. There were really only a handful of people in Bright Moon that Catra actively interacted with - needless to say, Castaspella was not one of them. 

“Guard, return to your post.” The guard looked to Catra once more, no doubt glaring under his helmet, before doing as directed and retreating back to where he came from. “You,” Castaspella called out to Catra. “Come with me.” 

Even if she wasn’t entirely sure if Castaspella was going to help her or lead her outside to be magically thrown into the lake, Catra followed. 

The walk back to Adora’s room was long and quiet, painfully quiet. Catra hadn’t really spoken much with Castaspella and if she were honest, she didn’t think there was any desire for that to happen. 

She wished it were different, if only because the only person she’d met in Bright Moon that seemed to hate Shadow Weaver as much as Catra did was the woman currently beside her. It might be fun to trade stories of the horrible things Shadow Weaver had done to them. They could bond on tragedy and perhaps find common ground. 

Then the conversation might shift to other tragedies, and Castaspella might bring up losing her Angella when the portal opened, and then every bond they formed would fall apart, and Castaspella might actually throw her into the lake. 

So, Catra kept her mouth shut and walked a little bit faster as they finally made it to Adora’s room. 

Melog was still in his spot on guard duty, facing the bathroom door with his head resting on his front paws, at the ready to move if necessary. 

“Adora?” Catra called, breaking the silence. 

“Still alive…” Adora said, though she didn’t sound great. “You’re not Glimmer.” She pointed weakly at Castaspella who rolled her eyes. 

“Well the fever hasn’t taken your mind completely.” Castaspella knelt down in front of Adora and reached out to move the rag from her head. She then replaced it with the back of her hand and sighed. “You are quite warm and…” Castaspella glanced over at the toilet but didn’t dare look. “The vomiting is concerning.”

“Is she going to be okay?” Catra asked, more desperation in her voice than she liked. She just didn’t know how to feel. Adora was never sick - not that Catra could ever remember from when they were in the Horde. She was just...Adora. She woke up every morning full of fight and energy. The first one in the training room and the last one to leave the locker room. 

Castaspella looked over Adora once more, Adora, who had closed her eyes now and looked like she was about to slump over where she sat. “She needs rest. I can use magic to help her sleep through the night, but she’ll need medicine to truly fight the illness.” 

“Okay, let’s get some medicine!” 

“We will, we simply don’t have any on hand at the castle. We’ll have to send someone to…”

“I’ll go, right now. Where is it?” 

Castaspella sighed. “It’s beyond the Whispering Woods, the closest place you’d find any is in Thaymore and you won’t be able to find it at this hour.”

“But she needs it!” 

“And she’ll have it, but you can’t just go there and break down the shopkeepers door and take it.” Castaspella stood up, brushing off her night clothes and turned to face Catra. “Let her rest tonight, then in the morning you come find me, I’ll tell you what you need to get and you can go fetch it for her.” 

Catra was anxious and her darn hands were still shaking. “Fine,” she grumbled. “You’re sure she’ll be okay tonight?” 

“Yes,” Castaspella pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’ll help her sleep and we’ll let her rest well into the morning. By the time she wakes up you should be back with the medicine.”

“Of course,” Catra knew she would be because she probably wouldn’t be getting any more sleep tonight anyway. “I’ll go get the bed ready.”

“I’ll do what I can.”

Catra nodded, not allowing herself to look at Adora and instead she just turned and moved to their bed. 

Adora had been sweating before she even woke up, her pillow was stained and still damp. Catra picked it up and tossed it on the floor, replacing it with the one Adora had given to her. She pulled the blanket off the bed, turned it upside down so the cooler part was at the top. Just as she reset it on the bed, Castaspella called her name. 

“Catra, she’s ready.” Catra turned quickly, fairly certain that was the first time she’d actually heard Castaspella say her name. 

She made her way to Adora, who was still very much awake, but had a smile on her face. “I feel floaty,” she said and Catra sent a glance at Castaspella. 

“It’s fine,” she answered, clearly tired of Catra’s concerns. Not that Catra cared, she was going to be concerned about Adora always, it was on everyone else to adjust. 

Carefully, Catra helped Adora to her feet, surprised at how little of her own weight Adora was actually able to hold. She was heavy, which was not a surprise given how big and strong she was, but this was the one time all of Adora’s muscle was a bit of a problem. 

“This is why…” Catra groaned with each step she took. “You’re the one who has to do all the heavy lifting. You carry me around, remember? That’s how this works.” 

Eventually, with a little help from Castaspella, they made it to the bed and Catra carefully (as carefully as she could with Adora practically falling over) laid her girlfriend down in bed. 

She grabbed Adora’s legs and helped them on the mattress as well before grabbing the blanket and carefully lying it over her. Adora looked so vulnerable like this. She had a soft, empty expression on her face. Eyes closed and mouth open just a bit as her chest rose and fell with each breath she took. 

It reminded her far too much of the Heart of Etheria - when Adora was practically dying in her arms. 

“If you need anything else, come find me.” Castaspella said, and Catra looked over at her and nodded. 

“Th--thank you.”

Castaspella smiled, just a bit. “You’re not the only one who loves her.” 

Catra nodded, smiling as best she could and deciding against pointing out that she loved Adora the most. This wasn’t a competition to win, not tonight at least. 

As Castaspella took her leave, with one last reminder to Catra to find her early, they were suddenly alone again. 

Refocusing her attention on Adora, Catra reached up and carefully brushed her hair out of her face. She was still damp, from sweat and the rag from before. 

“We’ll fix this tomorrow, okay? I’ll go get the medicine and you’ll...probably just lay here.” Catra smiled down at Adora, who was fast asleep. “After this you’re not allowed to get sick ever again, okay?” More silence, and Catra made herself more comfortable on the bed. “Love you.” She whispered, continuing to let her hand run through Adora’s hair as she waited for morning. 

* * *

Catra started moving early. At the first sign of sunlight peeking through the massive window of Adora’s room, she started getting ready. Adora was still fast asleep, as she had been all night. Catra laid awake, quietly keeping watch and waiting. She knew it probably wasn’t healthy and that she would probably pay for it when the exhaustion finally caught up with her, but she didn’t care - she just had to make sure Adora was okay. After that, she could worry about how scared this whole situation had made her. 

Standing above Adora, Catra gave her a very soft kiss on the forehead before pulling the hood of her cloak over her head and making her way through the castle halls.

She found Castaspella near the kitchen on the near end of the castle, she was waiting for Catra and had a small piece of paper with exactly what Adora needed written on it.

“Do you have any money?”

Catra looked down at what she was wearing, covered in a brown cloak that she was fairly certain had been made from a sack. “Do I look like I have money?” 

Castaspella glared at her before turning on her heel and walking away. Catra stood, dumbfounded in the hallway, until she returned with a handful of coins. She dropped them into Catra’s hand and closed her fingers around it. 

“This should be enough. Don’t try and haggle, medical merchants in Thaymore are known sticklers.”

“Right,” Catra nodded. “I don’t know what haggle or sticklers mean, but I’ll try not to do them.” 

“Don’t negotiate. Whatever they ask you to pay, you pay.”

“Oh, well that’s easy. It’s your money.” She said and immediately regretted it. Especially when she’s met with an eye roll. “Sorry, that was supposed to be ‘thank you’.” 

Castaspella waved her away. “Go, I’ll keep an eye on Adora.” 

With that, Catra set off out of the castle and started making her way towards the Whispering Woods. It was nice to have a mission, even if it was by herself and not the most dangerous mission she could have imagined. Though, despite the lack of danger, it felt important. She had to take care of Adora, make sure she was okay. 

Because if she wasn’t, well Catra didn't even want to think about that. 

So she pressed on, using her claws to swat away at the thick bushes and massive leaves that consumed the woods. 

Catra hated these woods, they were added to the long list of things that Catra didn’t like. Right alongside Shadow Weaver and the color green and the feeling of someone magically holding her down against her will. 

These woods were where she lost Adora the first time. In a lot of ways, they were where she lost herself. That day with Adora, when she found the sword and woke up to the rest of the world, Catra had no idea how to handle it. She didn’t see it all as clearly as Adora did, then again, she never really had. 

Adora was always the odd one out in the Horde. She never truly fit, she was just good enough and strong enough and skilled enough that nobody ever pointed it out. Deep down though, Catra always knew that Adora wasn’t meant for the Horde. The Fright Zone was beneath her and so was everyone there. 

Herself included. 

The further she walked, the more Catra realized she didn’t really like being alone anymore. Too much quiet for her mind to start screaming at her again. 

As if on cue, there was a sudden burst of magic in front of her. Glimmer and Bow appeared wearing big smiles and traveling gear. 

Catra, who’s heart was currently in her throat, lowered her hands down as she realized she wouldn’t have to tear anyone to shreds. 

“Are the two of you actively trying to stop my heart? Because you’re getting closer and closer every day.”

Bow gave Glimmer a look. “I told you she wouldn’t like the teleport surprise.” 

“She’s fine!” Glimmer bounded over to Catra, linking their arms together. “Auntie Casta told us you were on a mission for Adora, she also mentioned that you might need a little help.”

“I don’t need help,” Catra said, her voice sharper than intended. She was still a little frazzled from their sudden appearance. They didn’t give her a sad look or any sort of disappointment. They just stared at her as if neither of them planned on going anywhere. She really didn’t want to be alone. ‘But you’re already here so...let’s go. We have to hurry though!”

“We will,” Bow threw his hands in the air. “Casta told us Adora was sleeping and would be for a while, so maybe I’ll have time to see if I can find strings to fix my guitar!” 

Catra rolled her eyes. “She’s not just  _ sleeping _ , she’s sick.”

“We know,” Glimmer said as she started to walk, practically dragging Catra along. 

“You know?” She couldn't believe how...relaxed they were. “Why aren’t you freaking out? Didn’t Castaspella tell you how bad it is? She was…”

“Throwing up, with a fever, yeah, she told us. Why…” Glimmer gave her a curious look. “She’s going to be okay, Catra.”

Catra ripped her arm out of Glimmer’s grip. “You don’t know that!” 

“Sure we do,” Bow said. “It’s like the flu, and to be expected really. I don’t think Adora’s slowed down once since...well...since the day we met her!” 

“He’s right, her body was bound to show a few cracks after everything she’s been through. But we’ll get her back on her feet.” 

She couldn’t understand how they were so casual about all this. Maybe it was because they didn’t _ see  _ Adora last night. They didn’t see how weak she was, or feel how warm she was. They didn’t have to sit up all night holding her hand just hoping she would be okay.

Catra didn’t have time to explain it to them, she needed to finish her mission and get back to Adora. “Come on, we’re wasting time.”

She bristled when Glimmer put a hand on her shoulder, shrugging it off and marching ahead of them. 

There was work to do.

* * *

“If your tail moves any faster you’re going to start knocking over the shopkeepers products.” Glimmer took a seat next to Catra, who was too busy glaring at the shopkeeper to even notice Glimmer approaching. “You sure are grouchy today.”

“Adora’s sick, I didn’t sleep last night and Bow sang the  _ entire  _ way here.” Catra practically growled, her hands gripping the side of the seat she was sitting in. “I also didn’t expect we would have to wait for this guy to  _ mix _ the medicine by hand.” 

“We need to get you some books about medicine, how they work - what to expect. We should give you Adora’s old list, it helped her a lot. You know...when she actually tried. Which wasn’t very often.” 

Catra took a deep breath. “Sparkles, if you use your Queenly ways and make this old man do his job faster I’ll read whatever books you want.” 

Glimmer didn’t do that, she didn’t approach the shopkeeper or get up at all. She didn’t leave Catra alone. Instead, she scooted  _ closer _ . 

“What’s going on with you?” Glimmer asked, sincerity in her voice. 

As gentle as her question was, Catra really had no interest in a heart to heart. “Adora’s sick. Why is no one else worried?” 

“People get sick, even magical ones like Adora.” 

“Adora’s not magical. She-ra is. There’s a difference.” 

“I know that,” Glimmer said, a bit defensively. 

Catra found her opening and shot a glare at her. “Do you? Because everyone in that castle seems to think she’ll be just fine because of She-ra, but what if she isn’t? What if She-ra is the cause of all this? What if…”

“Will you slow down!” Glimmer put a hand on her shoulder. Catra fought not to push her away, literally. “Catra, you have to understand, we’re all worried about Adora, but my aunt said it’s not anything serious. It’s just a bit of illness. Once she has this medicine, it should pass in a few days.” Catra didn’t respond, she didn't want to. Her mind was too frayed and her tail wouldn’t stop and her hands were shaking. “Was she never sick in the Horde?” 

“No,” Catra hated the way her voice quivered. “Adora was always so strong, you know? Like every day she would just...be Adora. She’d wake up, she tie her hair up and give you that big, stupid smile and go to work.” 

Glimmer laughed, it seemed genuine. “I know that Adora. We went through...a lot of stuff together, but yeah, she was always just...there.”

Catra swallowed the lump in her throat. “Until she isn't.” She could still see the chalk drawing of the two of them from years ago - with a claw mark through Adroa’s face after she suddenly wasn't there anymore. “Glimmer, if something happened to her I...I don’t know what I’d do.” Catra shifted her eyes up to the shopkeeper as she spoke. He was focused on his task, she could tell he wasn’t paying attention to their conversation. She was glad for that, it wasn’t meant for anyone else. 

“She’s not going anywhere, Catra. She…”

“I know,” Catra cut her off, she was pouring over now, best to get it all out of the way. “But I realized last night, as I was lying there with her…that she’s all I have.” Catra wiped at her eyes. “In the whole world, she is the only thing that I really have. Nobody has ever loved me, not really, in this world, except her. If I lost her...I would actually lose everything.” Glimmer clearly wanted to say something, Catra could feel the words trying to escape. To her credit, she held her tongue and let Catra finish. “I don’t want that, I love her, but I don’t want to put everything on her. Does...does that even make sense? I feel like I’m not making any sense. I don’t even understand it. I just...it’s not fair to her. To be the beginning and the end for me. The only thing. Am I crazy?” When Glimmer smirked just a bit, Catra swatted her arm. “Don’t be a jerk.” She laughed, despite the tears. 

“I  _ think _ I know what you’re trying to say.” Glimmer glanced out the tent opening where Bow was busily talking to another store owner across the way. “You want more in your life than just Adora?”

“Adora comes first, always,” Catra had to make sure that was clear. Even if it wasn’t in question, she just liked saying it. To remind herself that she had someone been lucky enough to find her way back to Adora again. “But...yeah...I don’t really have any goals or missions or...anything. The last ones I had all kinda fell apart.” 

“Well, I won’t apologize for that,” Glimmer gave her a look and Catra rolled her eyes. “But there is a whole world out there for you now. You  _ earned  _ that with your choices and your heart. You’re committed to changing, I’ve seen it in you, Catra. Even now, you’re trying. You’re letting yourself open up to me, that’s  _ huge! _ ”

“Don’t make me regret it.” 

Glimmer smiled, putting her arm around Catra, who didn’t move away from her. “We have a lot of work coming up. We’re going to be traveling and busy. I assumed you would come to be with Adora but...if you want actual work to do, I can give you a job. There’s a spot for you in the rebellion” Glimmer suddenly frowned. “We might have to change that name though. We’re not really... _ rebelling  _ against anything anymore.” Glimmer shook her head, waving her hands in front of her face. “That is...another discussion for another day. Now though, the question is on you. If you want an official assignment with the team, I can absolutely do that. I am the Queen, after all.”

Unable to hide her affection any longer, Catra let her head rest on Glimmer’s shoulder. “I didn’t realize how much work being a good person would be.” 

“The right choice isn’t always the easy one.” Glimmer said, her voice soft. “My mother taught me that.” Catra locked up under Glimmer’s embrace, which was clearly noticed. “Another discussion for later.” 

* * *

Adora felt like death. If death was a feeling, this was it. She had been in and out of it all morning. Her body was a mixture of floaty and disgusting. There were times she felt like she was on the verge of exploding, she wasn’t even sure from where, but it was awful. Other times, she could barely even comprehend where she was. 

All she knew was that Melog was here, she could feel him any time she moved. People were coming in and out of the room. Someone kept talking to her, but she couldn’t focus on them. 

Only now did she finally feel like herself enough to actually know what was happening around her. She was sick - really sick. She kind of needed to go to the bathroom, but she wasn’t sure her legs would actually work. 

Suddenly, the door to her room opened and Adora rolled over to her side to see who was coming in. A smile broke out on her face when she saw Catra making her way over. 

She was carrying a bag of some kind, small and crumpled up in her hand. She shrugged off the cloak she was wearing before giving Melog, who had leapt off the bed, a few well deserved pets. 

A moment later, Catra was kneeling down in front of her, a soft smile on her face. Adora swore her aches and pains faded when she saw her. 

“Hey, Adora.” Catra reached up and put a hand on her cheek. “You’re not as warm as you were before.” She said, softly running her thumb over her skin. “I bought you some medicine.”

“You don’t have any money.” Adora’s voice was hoarse, but she couldn't resist. 

Catra rolled her eyes. “No, but the kingdom is rich and She-ra is valuable. I pulled a few strings.” Adora watched as Catra held up a vial of bright blue liquid that looked like it had sparkles in it. “I don’t know how this stuff tastes, but if the smell is anything to go by, well...we’re lucky we have years of eating ration bars to train us for things like this.”

Carefully, Catra put a hand under Adora’s head, helping her sit up a little. She popped the cork off the vial and placed it against Adora’s lips. Slowly, she poured the sparkly liquid into her mouth. 

Adora made a noise of displeasure as soon as it hit her tongue. It tasted a lot like she imagined rotting moss would taste. “No, no no…” Catra warned. “I’m not going back to get more. Swallow it.” 

If there was one thing both of them had learned in their time with the Horde, it was how to follow directions. Adora was better at that than Catra, but either way, Adora found the strength to swallow, despite how awful it tasted, and when she did she stuck out her tongue for good measure. 

Catra smiled, putting the vial down. “See, that wasn’t so bad.”

“Easy for you to say.”

“It really is,” Adora wrapped her hand around Catra’s wrist and squeezed softly. A quiet thank you for taking care of her. “Do you need anything?”

Adora nodded. “I have to pee.” 

“Uh…”

“Just...can you help me off the bed. I feel like I’m stuck to this thing.” Together, they worked to get Adora off the bed. When she was finally on her feet, they felt like they were made of jelly. If Catra hadn’t been right next to her, there was a good chance she would have fallen. “Wow, I hate this.” She said, trying to focus and regain her balance.

“You okay?” 

“I think...I think so?” Adora took a step and was relieved when the muscles in her legs reacted and she didn’t tumble to the ground. She took another step just to be safe. “Okay, we’re good. I can still walk.” She didn’t feel great, but better than the night before and certainly better than the three or four times she’d woken up today. 

Catra followed behind her, taking each step right along with her. Adora fought every urge she had not to turn around and kiss her. She knew Catra loved her, she couldn’t believe it sometimes because it was something she’d thought about for so long, but heartfelt confessions when saving the world together were hard to ignore. 

Still, the little things Catra would do didn’t go unnoticed. 

Neither did the big things, like getting her medicine first thing in the morning. 

Once Adora was in the bathroom, she sat down to do her thing. Her head was spinning just a little and her stomach was still trying to revolt against her, but it was manageable. She still wanted to sleep, her body still felt like it needed it. At this point, she was ready to succumb to being Sleep-ra. 

As she finished, and hovered over the toilet just for a second in case she needed to throw up again (she didn’t, she was kicking this sickness’ butt), Adora opened the door and found Catra waiting for her. 

“You’re cute,” she said and Catra glared at her. “I’d kiss you if my breath didn’t smell like vomit and disgusting medicine.” 

“There will be plenty of time for that later.” Catra put an arm around her waist. “Now, I’m exhausted and you need rest and I told Glimmer that we were on lockdown for the rest of the day.”

Adora nudged Catra with her hip. “Wanting me in bed all day, huh?”

“Vomit, Adora. Remember all the vomit.” 

“Stop saying vomit.”

“Stop having it and I’ll stop saying it.” Together, they climbed into bed, Adora sinking into the familiar comfort of the mattress, but it was better when Catra slid in beside her. “I have some stuff I want to talk to you about, when you’re feeling better.” That sounded serious, and Adora’s face must have given away her concerns. “It’s nothing bad, just...important to me. But it can wait.” 

Adora felt herself overflowing with affection. She reached out, putting a hand on Catra’s arm. “Thank you for taking care of me.”

Catra purred softly, closing the distance between them and wrapping Adora in her arms. “Come on, let’s get some rest.”

As they laid down, Adora buried her face in Catra’s neck and let the soft vibration of Catra’s purrs lull her back to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts?


End file.
